DR1 Travel News - 3 January 2017

Rich and famous vacation in the East
Seven long weekends in 2017
Lorenzillo’s opens in Punta Cana
Majestic Mirage is the new hotel in Punta Cana

Rich and famous vacation in the East
Former US President Bill Clinton and his wife former US Senator and Secretary of State Hillary and former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger spent the 2016-2017 New Year holidays in Punta Cana. The Clintons have been spending New Year in the Dominican Republic for several years now. They were hosted by Frank and Haydee Rainieri of Puntacana Resort & Club.

Also in Punta Cana for the holidays was Annette de la Renta, widow of famous fashion designer Oscar de la Renta, a major shareholder in the Puntacana Resort & Club.

Other famous people who visited Punta Cana over the holidays included actors Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta Jones. It was also reported that the family visited Samaná where they toured the El Limón waterfall.

Visitors to nearby La Romana staying at Casa de Campo for the holidays included media magnate and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Las Vegas casino magnate Steve Wynn.

Seven long weekends in 2017
There are 12 official holidays in the Dominican Republic. The days on which they fall will create seven long weekends, perfect occasions for escaping the cities and visiting beach and mountain areas. At the same time, residents of tourist areas can make the most of the opportunities to visit the cities to enjoy urban life. This means that bookings will be high at hotels and resorts nationwide, and planning should be done in advance.

December and January traditionally are months when the entertainment and tourism industries work hard catering to Dominicans who are in party and vacation mode. This January 2017, the good vibes of Christmas and New Years continue, with two long weekends.

This year, Three Kings Day falls on Friday, 6 January 2017, but the Ministry of Labor has moved the celebration to Monday, 9 January. This means that many people will take time off from Friday, returning back to normal on Tuesday, 10 January.

Next, the birthday of the founding father of the Dominican Republic, Juan Pablo Duarte is celebrated on Thursday, 26 January 2017. Many who can will plan on taking off the rest of the week, from Thursday to Sunday.

Other holidays in January are New Year’s Day, and Our Lady of Altagracia Day on Saturday, 21 January. This is a religious holiday commemorating the religious protector of the Dominican people.

The next long weekend will be for Independence Day on Monday, 27 February.

Other long weekends include the religious holiday of Good Friday, on 14 April. Many people will take time off from Thursday, or even earlier as this is a vacation week for schools and universities. International Workers’ Day will be celebrated on Monday, 1 May and Constitution Day on Monday, 6 November, creating two more long weekends.

This year, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day fall on a Monday, making for two more long weekends.

Lorenzillo’s opens in Punta Cana
Featuring a live lobster tunnel aquarium, seafood-specialty Mexican restaurant Lorenzillo’s opened its first international branch in Punta Cana in time for Christmas. As well as lobster dishes and seafood, they also serve dishes prepared with meat.

The restaurant is centrally located in Downtown Punta Cana. It is open 365 days a year from 1pm to midnight. The restaurant boasts a 4,000 bottle wine inventory with a selection of 200 spirits from around the world. It has two separate terraces, three bars and a main hall.

The restaurant is popular in the Mexican resorts of Cancún and Los Cabos. The restaurant, which has operated in Mexico since 1979 is named after an infamous pirate who ransacked Mexico in 1683 when he could not find a place to eat to his satisfaction.

Founder Salvador Vidal was present for the opening, along with the Ambassador of Mexico Carlos Tirado and his wife. The Governor of La Altagracia province, Ramón Guilamo Alfonso also attended, representing President Medina.

For more information, contact 829 249-6343.

Majestic Mirage is the new hotel in Punta Cana
The 511-suites Hotel Majestic Mirage in Arena Gorda (Bavaro Beach) opened in December 2016 to cater to beach-loving tourists. The Mirage features the Mirage Club, an 18-suites adults-only area. The hotel features a 3,800 square meter long swimming pool in addition to seven pools in the adults-only area. The new hotel is located in the Majestic resort area, south of the Colonial and Elegance that cater to families in the same beach area.

Construction of the 85,000 square-meter Mirage began in October 2015 and reportedly involved an investment of US$125 million by Grupo Batle.

José María Gutiérrez is the general manager of the new Majestic Mirage.